Some comments for those who are concerned after the first midterm in Phys 2020
Please see our help page for general suggestions about getting assistance, and our generic "how to succeed" page, as well as a Problem Solving Strategy guide.
Some people got a score on the first midterm below what they had hoped or planned for. If this is you - don't panic, but consider this as an indication that you may be headed for difficulties in the class. Any given exam is a relatively small fraction of your grade, and can therefore be overcome. But, if you do similarly on future exams, it obviously becomes a problem. The worst approach is to ignore what happened, merely hoping for the best. That's not a strategy for success. Something has to change, your grade on future exams won't go up just because you realize, after the fact, what you got wrong on the first midterm. Use this as an opportunity to change what you're doing, and to rethink your own ideas about what effective studying means in this course.
Reflect on what happened and why:
Look back over the exam carefully, on your own at first - ask yourself why you missed the questions you did. What do you need to do to more
effectively prepare for the next midterm? Don't just hope it might
work out o.k. - take charge of your own learning, think about the
course goals, and the kinds of assignments we have, and try to figure
out how to best study. There is no universal answer . For some
students, more careful reading of lecture notes or textbook(s) may be
key. Reading a physics textbook is not
like reading literature. You can't skim, and reading with a marker pen,
underlining keywords, is probably not very effective either. Have some
blank paper, work things out as you read. You need to engage with the
text. Argue with yourself, keep closing the book and try to reproduce
the argument, make sense of the definition, solve or extend the example.
Mastering physics is not about memorizing answers, or even memorizing
procedures. It's about making sense of the material. How do you
know if it makes sense? Getting a question right is not enough - can you
generalize, think about other cases? Can you explain your answer, in words?
Can you make up new problems, and solve
them? Can you summarize how the various ideas
we're studying fit together, can you build a "concept-map" that is more
than just a disconnected list of topics or (worse yet) equations?
When in doubt, ask yourself "how would I explain this to someone who
doesn't get it" or perhaps better yet, who doesn't even know much physics?
It's an incredibly helpful way to go about making
sense of something. If you can't explain it, clearly, so that someone else
gets it, then you probably don't have a solid understanding yourself yet . (This is one of the reasons that labs and ConceptTests in class have such a demontrably strong positive impact on learning in this course!)
Strategies:
Perhaps you may need to devote more time and attention to the
labs? Maybe you should spend a little time
before the lab, looking over it to try to get a sense of what it's
about. You might re-read the appropriate section of the textbook(s) or
lecture notes, to try to see how the lab connects with the
"formulas". Feel free to get help
in office hours (see the schedule to make sure there's a 2020 TA in the
help room when you go) Study groups, if used effectively, can be great for
this kind of work. During lab itself, keep asking yourself "am I just going
through the motions, or am I trying to think about the big picture, and
really make sense of this material?"
Some of you may need to focus on the concept tests. There are even more available in your
text (and, at the end of every chapter, just before the "Problems", are "Questions", which I think are very good!) But
remember - it's not about "learning the answers" , it's about making
sense of them so that you can do new and different ones on your own . Don't rush to
"check yourself with the answer". Take your time, think of the
arguments. Ask yourself what the arguments are likely to be. How does
this concept relate to the section we're covering in the text? Why did
I choose to ask it? How might I change it just a little, keeping the
CONCEPT the same, but changing the example or style or precise
question. Again, discussing with study partner(s) can be invaluable -
not just to hear other ways of thinking, but to help you learn
how to explain yourself out loud. There is no better way to learn
than to try to teach!!
If the problems you missed on the midterm involved algebra or math or
"problem-solving" skills, perhaps you need to try more than
just the CAPA problems. E.g, you might start working problems from Giancoli,
there are many solved examples, and most odd end-of-chapter problems
have an answer in the back to check yourself with. This is not the
solution to everyone's test taking problems - but it can help if your
algebra or "problem manipulation" skills are what are hurting you. (This was probably not much of an issue on the first midterm, but there may be a few more "math-y" questions on future exams)
Outside resources:
For a few people, the problem is not so much physics as it is simply
test-taking. If you feel you get so nervous or distracted taking exams that
your performance is not reflecting what you know, consider talking to Student Academic Services to get evaluated for test anxiety. There are some
basic tricks and tips that can help anyone relax, and perform as best they can.
Remember that any SINGLE exam will not determine your grade.
If you find that time is an issue on exams, you may need to
actively practice budgeting your time and working efficiently. Talk to us,
or your TA -
we're happy to try to help, it's what we're here for.
Bottom line:
As you can see from the distribution, most of the class is doing very
well, but there is a small tail of people who, perhaps, haven't
yet figured out the best way to learn this material. You can't
memorize your way through Physics 2020, and it's not about punching
numbers into formulas. We're here to help, but nobody can "teach you"
this stuff except you ! Take advantage of the help room, and
office hours. Perhaps you should find/make a study group? Don't put it
off! You can't "cram" effectively for a course like this, now is the time to take action, change your study habits, and decide what
kind of effort you need to put in to do as well as you want to in this
course.
Spending more time in NOT always what's needed, you may just
need to change the way you spend your time. (For sure, try to
do the assigned readings in advance of lecture, and attend lecture and
tutorial!) Did you ever look at our recipe
for success at the end of the online syllabus?
Good luck, and let Steve Pollock or Oliver DeWolfe know what more I/we can do to help you
learn this material. Like I said, that's what we're here for!